Snow odds increasing in Massachusetts for Patriots game Sunday. Maps show latest storm track and forecast.
Odds are increasing that Massachusetts will be dealing with some accumulating snow from a coastal storm Sunday night – and the latest forecast shows snowy weather could impact the NFL playoff game in Foxboro between the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.
This has been a tough one to forecast. Here is what we know right now for sure.
- There will be a coastal storm forming off the East Coast during the day Sunday.
- It will make its closest pass by southern New England Sunday night.
- The farther south and east you live, the better the chance that you will receive some snow and possibly plowable snow.
- We can likely rule out a major snowstorm or nor’easter at this point. The storm will be moving rather quickly, its pressure won’t be that deep and our window for getting snow is only about 6-12 hours.
Saturday snow
First thing’s first: There will be some light rain and snow during the day on Saturday. This is a completely separate storm from the Sunday night event.
Ground temperatures will be borderline (low to mid 30s) therefore, we expect rain to mix in at times, particularly inside of I-95 and over southeastern Mass.
There may be some light snow during Saturday morning in parts of central and western Mass., but the main thrust of this storm will be from about midday through the early evening.
The best chance of seeing the snow whiten the ground would be areas north and west of I-95. We are calling for a general coating to 2″ in this zone with a tad more, 2-4″ in the higher terrain of Worcester County
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Sunday storm forecast
Now on to the main event. The timeframe to watch for impact from this storm is Sunday afternoon through about midnight.
With temperatures initially being fairly mild, it could begin as a bit of light rain or a mix, before transitioning over to all snow.
This is one of those storms where the difference in track of 50-100 miles will make a huge difference. As of this writing, a little more than 48 hours before the start of this storm, there are still three possible scenarios.
Scenario #1
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A western track would bring the center of the storm over an ideal location (historically) to produce plowable snow across a widespread area of southern New England. This includes Boston and many of the western and northern suburbs.
The odds of this occurring around 1 in 3 … and that number is climbing from Thursday.
Scenario #2
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A fringe track is one that would bring the center of the low pressure a bit too far east for maximum impact in our area. However, this would be just close enough to bring several inches of snow to parts of southeastern Mass., including Foxboro.
This is our most likely scenario at this point, about a 1 in 2 chance.
Scenario #3
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Finally, the far eastern track is essentially out to sea. The odds of this happening are lowering with new model data, about a 1 in 5 chance.
How much snow on Sunday?
Putting all that together, you can see your odds of having to shovel or plow Monday morning get higher the farther south and east you live or travel.
It is a tad too early for exact numbers given the current model uncertainty. But to give you an idea, expect on the magnitude of 2-4″ or 3-6″ in the snowiest areas.
Chance of greater than 6″ anywhere are fairly low.
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Patriots vs. Texans game forecast
As for the Patriots game which, naturally, is kicking off right around the time when the snow may be arriving, the odds of weather impacting the game are rising.
Again, it could briefly start as rain before transitioning over to snow. Temperatures will be in the low to mid 30s, not very cold. Winds won’t be a factor either, only about 5-10 mph.
The big question is, of course, the snow. If we were to get enough to whiten the field during the game, you have to think that would favor the Patriots over a team from Houston that plays in a dome. Football played in snow often favors the offense over the defense – another bonus for the Pats.
“Worst case scenario” – the snow starts around kickoff or during the game and Foxboro gets an inch or two (at most) by the time the game ends.
The ride home would certainly be tricky under that scenario.
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